Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-01-19

retiring for the night he made some excuse
for getting up and leaving the room. The
Commonwealth maintained that it was on
| that occasion an opportunity was had for
the accomplishment of the girls ruin. At
any rate it is fixed at that period.
THE UNHAPPY GIRLS CONDITION.
The theory is that, discovering her situa-
ton, the man who was the author of it
| urged the necessity of his victim leaving
the neighborhood. A situation was secured
as governess in the family of Mrs. Dicker-
son, the wife of well-to-do and highly re-
speeted cattle dealer in Bath county. Miss
Madison went there in October of the same
year and assumed her new duties. The
only scholars were the nephew of her en-
ployer and two children from the neighbor-
hood. There Cluverius correspondent with
the girl regularly, as is shown by envelopes
addressed to her in the prisoner handwrit-
ing which were found in her trunk. The
tine was rapidly approaching when the un-
| happy girls condition could no longer be
kept from those about her. l. was this
fact, no doubt, that forced her to enter into
| the multifarious schemes of deception which
she subsequently, practiced upon her en-
ployer and others. The sequel seems to
show conclusively that an agreement had
been entered into through correspondence
between the cousins by which she was to
come to Richmond and remain until the
birth of her child.
MISS cURTIs's PURPoRTED LETTER
In order to account to Mrs. Dickerson for
the seven or eight weeks absence such a
plan would necessitate, letter was pro-
duced and read to that lady by Lillian
purporting to be from Miss Laura Curtis
of this city. In that letter Miss Curtis is
made TO say that her aunt's failing health
makes a visit to Old Point necessary, and
offers the deceased the place as companion
to her; not only offers, but presses the girl
to accept it. Miss Curtis had been a
schoolmate of Lillian's at Burlington Acad-
envy, and the latter had on enc occasion
visited the home Of that lady. So the ruse
appeared to be quite natural. This letter,
which it was proved was in the handwriting
of the dead girl, reached her by mail few
days before her departure for Richmond
Upon the representation of the condition of
things set forth in that letter, motherly
Mrs. Dickerson, seeing DO guile in her gov
erness, readily consented for hel to make
the trip.
CLUVERIUs AND HIS VICTIM IN RICHMOND.
On March 10 Cluverius and his victim
were both in the city, the latter at the
American Hotel, registered as ''Miss F. L.
Merton" and the former registered at the
Capitol Hotel, block away. Cluverius
arrived on the 18th, and Miss Madison
would have done so too, had not an acct
dens on the Chesapeake and Ohio Road de-
LACED her train for several hours. The
pane assumed by the ruined girl on this
| occasion was the same one under which she
registered at the Exchange Hotel on visit
she had made here in January preceding.
1t was proved that on that visit the pris-
oner had called at the hotel to see Miss
Merton and had been shown to her room:
that later in the day he had walked out on
the street with her. On the March visit,
although Cluyerius has psrsistently denied
that he saw his cousin Lillian, he was re-
| cogoized by the servants at the American
Hotel as calling for Miss Merton and having
an interview with her in the hotel parlor
Not only that, but Tyler, thu coored man
who testified to that fact, also narrated how
the prisoner, when in his presence, as if
endesvering to prevent the witness from
suspecting he knew he lady, remarked that
his name was Carter and the young lady he
| called to see was a school friend of his
sister This ailusion evidently referred to
| accounting for the dead girls absence from
Mrs. Dlckerson's, already mentioned At
| that time this pseudo Curtis letter had not
been found. and the public had never heard
| OF it or o: the ruse proposed to be resorted
to
THE FATAL NOTE.
The Gully baggage which the traveller had
with her was bag containing a few articles
nj ri nd hop nd oh al nh ;ob 81
is believed were all of the prisoners letters.
On the morning of herl arrival Lillian ate
breakfast in her room, and soon after par
taking of this meal received a note by the
hands of a messenger, the contents of which
were never known. She promptly sont this
reply: 81 will be there soon as possible, SO
Go wait for me-" This was pencled on a
scrap of paper, and the envelope which iu-
closed it addressed. ST J. Cluyerius."
The pressengsr failed to find the man from
| whom Lii an's note to which il was reply
had boon received. The note was returned
and handed to the clerk of the hotel He
kept it for short time, but as the writer
had disappeared without paying her board
bill it was finally torn up, and the contents
not furnishing any clue to her whereabouts
or indemnity, the scraps were consigned to
the waste basket. Then these were found
when the dead body of a strange woman
was discovered in the reservoir on Saturday
March IA, the pieces were carefully put
together, and the address on the envelope
was with difficulty deciphered. The name
was an uncommon one.
At II o'clock Miss Madison went out of
the hotel, met Ciuverus, it is supposed,
and the two crossed the bridge to Belle Isle,
where they were seen and identified by
! werkmen there. These works are seclud-
ed, and but rarely visited by Richmond
people. This fact no doubt recommended
the place to the two cousins as one where
they would find seclnsion, and be enabled
to discuss their plans for arranging for the
girls delivery, without fear of being re-
cognized by friends who knew them. The
couple returned to Richmond aboat one
o'clock, or rather it was proved that the
deceased ate dinner at the American Hotel
between one and two O'Clock.
THE stoLD MAN" IN THE CASE.
That afternoon Cluverius was at the matt
nee at the Academy of Music. The girl
was away from the hotel about the same
hour, aud possibly attended the same place
of amusement, though not in company with
the prisoner. She left the hotel again later
in the evening, aud upon her return en- that
ooShoiOu, dCGuSeluS " Guo tes6tuluuy Oi Tue
servant who saw her in the parlsr, she was
accompanied by an old man, who was de-
scrioed By the witness as a big peddler.
For long time the connection of this old
man with the case was profound mystery.
Some believed that he was one of the muir
derer's eonfederates, and, if he did not assist
in making away with the wronged girl, lent
the murderer some assistance For more
than fourteen months this mystery was
unexplained. Aboet December 10 the
police cleared it up by happening to hear
that carpenter by the name of Chiles,
who works in the Chesapeake aud Ohio
carshops here, had said he remembered ac-
compauying young woman to the -Amer-
eau Hotel on the evening of March IS, 1886
Mr. Chles subsequently fully explained his
connection with the case. He met lady,
he said, answering the description of Miss
Madison on one of the streets not far from
the American Hotel. She inquired the
way to that house. It wa dark, aud he
offered to accompany her there. He did 50,
III ut ed hor to 70 1arl, bn